Bonnie Belle's celebrates 70 years with expansion into a second location in Bridgeport

By Local News | March 19, 2017

By Jeff Toquinto. Bridgeport, your sweet tooth may soon meet its match. One of Harrison County’s – and the West Virginia’s – most well-known bakeries is coming to the city.

Earlier this week, officials with White Oaks and a co-owner of Bonnie Belle’s Pastries confirmed that the decades-old business will be opening a second location at the development situated just off of Interstate 79. The business will be located in the White Oaks Retail Village, which is home to McFly Outdoors, Cody’s and the White Oaks Salon.

Even better, the new location comes during the company’s 70th year of doing business. They opened shop on May 15, 1947.

“We’re making the move because we believe the demand is there for it,” said co-owner Pat Hawkins, who operates the business with his mother Linda Fowler. “We’ve been talking about going to Morgantown for a few years, but this looked like a place where we could expand and have a little better control in relation to our Nutter Fort store. Morgantown, right now, is a little further away than we would like.”

What that means is Bridgeport residents, those working here or anyone traveling along State Route 279 or getting off of Interstate 79 at the Jerry Dove Drive exit will have a chance to get a taste of what many have raved about for years. Hawkins said all the favorites offered at the existing location – from cupcakes and sugar cookies to their famous white almond cake and pepperoni rolls – will be available locally.

“We saw this as a good opportunity with all of those businesses out there, including those at the development and the FBI and hospital, along with the interstate traffic. We think, and we hope, we’ll have our hands full,” he said. “This is really easy on and easy off as far as interstate access and we even hope to get business from the WVU crowd.